Can anyone give any tips as to the best way to treat bluffing in poker games? I know that the strategies used in online poker and physical games would obviously different greatly but I'm curious to know some of your tips and suggestions as to how to approach this crucial aspect of the game.

Thanks.

I'll try to expand on this more in our Fee Poker Tips section or a future newsletter but here are a couple of basics about bluffing:

• The smaller the game, the tougher it is to bluff. The amount of money wagered has to be of some value to the person otherwise people will just "pay to see your cards". Generally speaking in low limit games you are going to need to show the best hand.
• It's easier to bluff a good player than a bad one :) Players that play tight or want others to think they are good players, and often brag about how good of a lay down they made are good targets for bluffs.
• It's usually best to bluff on the turn, when the betting limits double in limit Hold'em. No limit is a whole different can of worms.

Jason

__________________
I'm Not Lucky, I Have Good Karma !

Yes I to was alway taught to not bluff when there are a lot of players and especially not against weak players. The only other tip I can offer is to always observe the people you are playing with. A lot of people tend to do the same things when they are bluffing.

It's true. I've read about people having certain 'tells' that give away their bluffs and this is one aspect of the game that I have a lot of fun with. When playing with friends it's great to try to see if you can pick up on any little tics or speech patterns that give away their bluff.

I have a friend that taps his fingers on the table every time he is bluffing. It is kind of funny because we have told him that he does this and he still does it.

You can try to catch bluffing in online poker also, quick bets large bets can often tell you someone is bluffing, while when someone is taking there time, it's often that they have a good hand.

Thanks, great tip for online bluffing. I will have to remember this one. I find it harder when playing online to figure out if someone is bluffing.

When I'm in lower stakes games where people seldom fold, I tend not to bluff and play tight aggressive. But I do look for a "post oak bluff" from a Noob where they bet 10% of the pot on the river. in that case I'll usually re-raise them to pot sized bet and get them to fold.

You should use bluffs sparingly, and for pots that are significant to your stack. You want a table image that says you "have a hand" when you bet. So don't go stabbing at too many small pots, or bet out everytime it's checked down to you in late position. Also, you want to be targeting tight and predictable players, not call stations or loose maniacs.

In a tournament, you don't want to steal/bluff from the shortstacks, because they will probably play back at you with little left to lose. In the early stages of a tournament, I will probably not bluff much or at all. When it gets to the point where theres antes, I'm putting out bets in any position with any two cards if I think I can get the pot. Experience will tell you the least amount you can bet in order to get others to fold, and how likely they are to fold the hand they probably have.

Bluffing is something that you can't use wrecklessly as it will kill you quick. If you just arrived at a table, you'll want to observe the play of the other players so you can determine who can and can't be bluffed. The most important strategy in my opinion is observing the play of your opponents, and that will help you choose the perfect times to bluff.